My Christmas Love

Not One in a Million, but One in 500, Anyway.

I try to watch all of the Hallmark movies. There are very few I haven’t seen. I watch them all in hopes of stumbling upon another Moonlight Masquerade, Holiday in Handcuffs, Straight from the Heart, My Fake Fiancée, A Family Thanksgiving, or Gift Wrapped Christmas. It’s almost a game with me. These are some of my favorites off the top of my head, and let me tell you, Hallmances that I would re-watch are few and far between. It’s no coincidence that my favorites usually feature talented actresses, usually with a flair for comedy, in the title roles: Teri Polo, Daphne Zuniga, and Melissa Joan Hart. Now, I will also add Meredith Hagner to the list. Her sprightly presence is not the only reason this movie succeeds, but it is an important factor. To that I will add a very appealing male lead, good writing (funny situations, dialogue, a few heart-tugs, and a twist even I did not see coming) and an older fan-favorite as an anchor: in this case, Gregory Harrison. Every once in a while, there is a perfect storm of actors, writing, and directing that makes my mission to at least give all of the Hallmark movies a chance, worthwhile. Why doesn’t it happen more often?

**Updated 11/16/2017**sad to say, it looks like Meredith Hagner has moved on from Hallmark. I hope I am wrong, but I guess she was just too good to become a regular. **8 stars out of 10**

December20, 2016

Rating: 8 out of 10.

A Wish Come True

Lazy and Weak.

This was a very sub-par entry in the Hallmark romance line-up. Nothing to recommend it except Ben Hollingsworth and his performance. Very lazy production. I liked Megan Park’s looks (not your typical ex-beauty queen thing going on…thank-you for sparing me that at least), but her character was boring and charmless. The whole story consists of her getting all of her childhood wishes. Utterly predictable “Be careful what you wish for” scenario. All of these Hallmances are predictable but the better ones have some good conflict, maybe a little suspense, an evil nemesis to hiss and boo at, a nice learning curve, some good humor, nice performances, great chemistry or, golly, something to entertain and keep your interest. This one had none of these in addition to an incredibly annoying father and ex-boyfriend. The rival for her hand was a nonentity. The scene at the end where the doggie put a mysterious note in the trashcan was bewildering. **2 out of 10 stars**

February 1, 2015